St. Louis man who sold fentanyl, meth to the ATF sentenced to 8 years in prison (DOJ)

ST. LOUIS - U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk on Monday sentenced a St. Louis man who repeatedly sold drugs to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to eight years in prison.

Michael Strother, now 21, sold drugs to an undercover agent of the ATF on five occasions in 2024. On January 24, he sold meth and fentanyl in Maplewood. He then sold meth to an agent on February 15, February 29, April 8 and April 22. After the April 22 transaction, law enforcement tried to conduct a traffic stop of the vehicle in which Strother was an occupant. The vehicle fled but ultimately came to a stop. Strother fled on foot from that traffic stop and escaped.

On September 5, an agent arranged to buy drugs from Strother in the St. Charles area. When Strother arrived, he was arrested in a vehicle that also held a juvenile, multiple cell phones and a distributable amount of fentanyl.

Strother pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in August to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and three counts of distribution of methamphetamine. He admitted that 1.8 kilograms of meth and 35 grams of fentanyl were attributable to him.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ricardo Dixon prosecuted the case.